RLA Pastor's blog

While visiting my parents this week, I learned some interesting things about the Weston side of the family. I learned that the Weston family came from a place called Bishops Canning, Wiltshire, England. The genealogical record begins with Anthony Weston who was born in 1641. Anthony was followed by Thomas, who was followed by William, who was followed by John Weston Senior.

It was John Weston Senior (my great, great, great, great grandfather) who migrated to America with his wife Anna and the first five of their ten children. Sailing on board the Greyhound, they departed from the port of Bristol in February 1756 and arrived at the port of Baltimore in April.

Every family has a few skeletons in the closet. I learned about one of ours. His name was John Jr., the oldest son of John Weston Senior. During the Revolutionary period John Jr. was a "Tory" (British sympathizer) and became the leader of the Tories of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Living on the frontier the Tories had little trust in the "rebel" army led by George Washington. Believing the British Redcoats were better able to protect England's interests in America, they sided with them. It was a fatal mistake for John Weston Jr., who came to be known as Captain John. Leading a band of Tories and Indians in a raid against an American Fort, the Indians thought they had been led into a trap and fired upon the Tories killing Captain John and most of his men.

From John Weston Senior the family line continued through his second oldest son, Joseph. Then came Paul David, followed by Hiram Joseph, followed by Luther, followed by another Paul David who happens to be my father.

Among other things, I learned that more than one of my ancestors were killed by Indians. I discovered the name Paul David appears four times in our family. I also learned that my great grandfather, Hiram Joseph, was seventy-one years old when my grandfather was born. This amazing man who fathered fourteen children had his last child at the age of seventy-three!

Of all the interesting things I learned about my ancestors, there is no indication of Christianity. As far as I know, my Christian heritage began with my grandmother, Lota Weston. She passed it down to my father, who handed it down to me. I have passed it along to my children, and now my grandchildren are being raised to serve the Lord.​

Think about it. Generations of family history changed with one person! A heritage is something passed down from your ancestors. It goes from one generation to the next. Regardless of what your genealogical record may reveal, make sure the heritage you hand down to the future generations in your family is one of godliness. Be the person who says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).Pastor Todd Weston

In 586 B.C. the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian army, and most of its residents were either killed or carried into exile that would last seventy years.

Then an amazing thing happened. In fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 44:28), God stirred up the spirit of a Persian king named Cyrus who issued this proclamation, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of His people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them” (2 Chron. 36:19). Immediately, thousands of Jews returned; and over the course of time, Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt.

In similar fashion, God stirred up the spirit of President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This recognition was made official by the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Israel’s 70th anniversary, May 14, 2018. Because of this presidential proclamation, some are referring to Donald Trump as a modern day Cyrus.

Of course, this move has sparked outrage among the enemies of Israel. Most of all, it has caused fury among the denizens of hell. Make no mistake, the hatred of Israel has nothing to do with politics. It has nothing to do with treaties and land deals. The motivation of this insatiable hatred of Israel is spiritual in nature, spawned by the devil himself who was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

So why does Satan hate Israel? Consider God’s message sent to the Egyptian Pharaoh, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go…” (Exodus 4:22-23).

Through God’s son Israel He gave us His Word. Through God’s firstborn He established the covenants. Furthermore, it was of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, of the family of David, of the city of Bethlehem that the Savior of the world came. Consequently, Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). And to Israel Jesus Christ will return at the Second Coming to establish His millennial throne in Jerusalem.

Satan hates God and everything related to God. He hates Israel, and he hates the Church. But what do we see today? We see Israel, a nation reborn and flourishing in its ancient homeland. And we see the Church triumphant, against which the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail.

The events of recent days reminds us that God has not broken His promises to Israel, nor will He ever! Though cast off for a season, God is fulfilling His promise to, “Assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). With the 70th anniversary celebration and recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, we see evidence of the faithfulness of God’s Word, “But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations” (Joel 3:20).

The God who keeps His promises to national Israel, will keep His promises to His Church. And the God who keeps His promises to Israel and the Church will keep His promises to you. So be encouraged by these things, “For He who promised is faithful…who also will do it” (Hebrews 10:23;​1 Thess. 5:24).

Having lived in Springfield, Missouri for several decades now, Mom is originally from the great state of Kansas. She grew up in a minister’s home. Rev. William and June Lambertson raised two daughters, my mother being the oldest. When they were not pastoring a local church, they were criss-crossing the state as musical evangelists. Every member of the family played at least one instrument and participated in the ministry.

My parents met at the old Central Bible Institute in Springfield (later to become Central Bible College where Sheri and I met), and the rest is family history. While the ministry took them to brief assignments in Arkansas, California, and Tennessee, Springfield became home.

Among her many gifts, my mom excelled in making our house a home. Being human, I’m sure she had bad days like everyone else, but somehow she never let it show. I honestly cannot remember my mother being grumpy, cross, or short-tempered. I do remember her seemingly constant smile. Like a ray of sunshine she brightened our home and my childhood years.

In a few days I will be flying to Springfield to spend a few days with my parents. As always, Mom will have her hot-out-of-the-oven signature chocolate cake sitting on the kitchen counter. We will hit some of our favorite places in my old hometown. There will be a lot of conversation and laughter. Most of all, we will just enjoy spending time together.

In Proverbs 6:20-22 Solomon gave this timeless rule for living,“My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.” I have found that to be true. After all these years I can still hear the practical instructions and godly training given to me by my mother. Like goodness and mercy, they have followed me all the days of my life.

So thank you, Mom! Thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for all the love and laughter. Thank you for the many years of selfless, sacrificial giving. Thank you for the countless things that only a mother can do. And one more thing…thanks for the chocolate cake! I’ll be home soon.

It was Nathanael who verbalized the Jewish sentiment of the day, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” While that was the prevailing attitude in Israel, it’s ironic that Nathanael adopted this anti-Nazareth bias seeing as he was from the nearby village of Cana which was hardly a thriving metropolis! If Nazareth had one stop light, Cana had two.​

Nazareth was a small, rural village nestled in the hills of Galilee. It’s believed that in Jesus’ day the population of Nazareth was somewhere around one-hundred-and-fifty residents. When you think of Nazareth several descriptive phrases come to mind: hick town, wide place in the road, the middle of nowhere. Consequently, people from Nazareth (called Nazarenes) might have been referred to as country bumpkins, hayseeds, or hillbillies. You get the idea.

So when Philip told his friend Nathanael they had found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, his response was one of unbelief. Surely, when the Messiah came He would arise from the religious class in Jerusalem. Why would God raise up the Prophet of prophets from some jerk-water village like Nazareth? No, when the time came the Promised One would come from among the religious elites in Jerusalem. As for this Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael concluded he was just a nobody from nowhere.

And yet it was to this “nobody from nowhere” that God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). I find that statement fascinating because it was made prior to Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus had not shared a single parable. He had not performed one solitary miracle. He had not preached a sermon, or introduced any of His great lessons like the Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse. All Jesus had done was grow up in Nazareth as the obedient son of Joseph the carpenter. And yet God said what He said!

Did you know that God’s love for you has nothing to do with where you are from, or what you have accomplished? The world’s acceptance is oftentimes based on where you were raised, where you went to school, what you have done, what you look like, who you know, where you live, and/or what you have accumulated. Not so with God. He loved you with an everlasting love before you could even pronounce your name.

In the world’s eyes you may be a somebody from somewhere, or a nobody from nowhere. Frankly, who cares what the world thinks! Be secure in this wonderful truth: you do not have to earn the love of your heavenly Father. Let your life be firmly established in the fact that God forevermore loves you. He really does.